University of Wisconsin-Whitewater head men’s basketball coach Pat Miller became the fastest active NCAA Division III coach to reach 300 career wins Wednesday as the third-ranked Warhawks throttled Beloit 92-51 in a non-conference affair at Kachel Gymnasium.
Miller is the seventh coach in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history to reach the 300-win plateau, doing so in just 385 games. He is the third fastest in league history to reach the mark behind UW-Eau Claire’s Ken Anderson (355 games) and UW-Platteville’s Bo Ryan (374).
Miller entered the season with Division III’s all-time highest winning percentage for coaches with at least 10 years of experience at the Division III level. He was 13th all time in all divisions.
Only eight coaches at the Division I level have reached 300 wins faster. Clair Bee holds the all time record at 344 games.
UW-Whitewater (9-2 overall) overcame a slow start to cruise to victory in its final non-conference game of the regular season.
Senior forward Steve Egan (Omro, Wis./Omro) totaled 13 points and six rebounds to lead the balanced Warhawks, who shot 55.2 percent from the floor while holding the Buccaneers (3-7) to just 36.7 percent from the field.
Senior guard Quardell Young (Kenosha, Wis./Bradford) posted 12 points, a team-high seven assists and three steals, while senior wing KJ Evans (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
Junior forward Ron Patten (Milwaukee, Wis./Whitefish Bay) contributed with nine points and two blocks off the bench, while junior wing Xzavier Moananu (Kansas City, Mo./Raytown South) added eight points and three steals.
Trailing 13-12 with almost nine minutes gone in the first half, UW-Whitewater turned up the full-court defensive pressure, turning the deficit into a five-point advantage in a 16-second span on consecutive forced turnovers and ensuing 3-pointers by senior guard Cody Odegaard (Poynette, Wis./Poynette).
Odegaard’s 3-pointers started a 10-0 run for the Warhawks, who took a 22-13 advantage with 9:28 on the clock in the period.
UW-Whitewater expanded its lead to double digits by the 7:54 mark and held at least an 11-point margin the rest of the way. A last-second lay-up by Patten gave the Warhawks a 46-30 advantage heading into the locker room.
The team extended its lead to 20 with 17:18 left in the second half and continued to build it as the game went on.
UW-Whitewater took its largest lead of the contest at 87-44 with 3:53 to play following a 3-pointer by junior guard Brandon Thompson (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg).
Freshman guard Jerry Ngobi (Janesville, Wis./Janesville Craig) registered all seven of his points in the second half.
The Warhawks outscored Beloit 44-14 in the paint, and UW-Whitewater reserves held a 42-16 advantage over the Buccaneers’ bench.
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